Cigarette case



J- REITZES CIGARETTE CASE Filed Nov. 22, 1963 Sept. 21, 1965 United States Patent 3,206,957 CIGARETTE CASE Joseph Reitzes, New York, N.Y. (6260 99th St., Rego Park, N.Y.) Filed Nov. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 325,641 3 Claims. (Cl. 70-272) This invention relates generally to smokers articles and the like, and more particularly to improved cigarette case construction.

It is known that many smokers desire to reduce the frequency of lighting and smoking a cigarette. Either through absentmindedness, lack of will power, or otherwise, they do not exercise sufiicient restraint and the result is that they smoke an excessive amount of cigarettes.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide novel and useful cigarette case construction which will, when set, automatically reduce the frequency with which the smoker may remove cigarettes from the cigarette case.

Another object herein lies in the provision of structure of the class described which enables the user to preset the time interval between smokes.

Another object herein is to have a cigarette case affording the above described desirable characteristics which is compact in size and light in weight so as to be comfortable in the users pocket or purse.

A still further object herein is to provide a cigarette case which may automatically release cigarettes and in which the mechanism therefor is simple and trouble-free so that the device may have a long useful life.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages will more fully appear in the progress of this disclosure and 'be pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings in which similar reference characters design-ate corresponding parts throughout the several views of each embodiment:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view, slightly enlarged, as seen from the plane 22 on FIGURE 1 with certain of the parts shown in elevation.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, slightly enlarged, as seen from the plane 33 on FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view corresponding generally to FIGURE 3 but showing the device as inverted and in a discharging condition.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a second embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of FIGURE 5.

Turning to the first embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4 inclusive, the device generally indicated by reference character 10 comprises broadly a casing element 12; gate means 14; and timing control means 16.

The casing element preferably includes a bottom wall 18, an annular vertical wall 20, and a top wall 22 having a discharge opening 24.

The gate means 14 may be of suitable size and configuration to adequately obstruct the passage 26 through which a single cigarette may emerge through the opening 24. While in FIGURES 2 and 3 the gate means 14 is shown as angularly disposed with respect to a normal rectilinear path of a cigarette as it would lead out of the casing element, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates that this may be altered without deleteriously affecting the operation of the device The gate means may include a lever 28 which is pivotally mounted at 30, a follower pin 32 which is adapted to coact with a cam 34 on the timing control means 16, and the detent plate 36.

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The timing control means 16 may be of any suitable type well known in the art, such as for example of the balance wheel, escapement type in which the rotation of the shaft 38 is delayed. The cam 34 is secured to the inner end of the shaft 38 while the operating handle 40 is secured to the outer end of said shaft. The handle 40 may be integrated with the dial 42 and the pointer end 44 may be rotationally displaced with respect to the markings 46 to set the timing control means to the proper interval. Depending upon the range desired, the timing control means may be adjusted and arranged to provide for delayed gate means openings of for example a maximum of three hours, two hours, one hour, or the like. Normally the timing control means would provide the maximum period of delay by a 360 rotation of the shaft 38.

As will be apparent from a perusal of FIGURE 2 the lower portion of the casing element has a storage area 13 which is copious enough to hold a package of cigarettes and is tall enough to take the so-called king size.

In use, the user (assuming the plate 36 to be in the open positions thereof) FIGURE 4, removes a single cigarette. This is accomplished in a convenient and accustomed manner by tapping the casing element while it is in an inverted position so that a single cigarette is dispensed by the action of inertia or gravity. The desired cigarette having been removed, the user turns the operating handle 40 to preset the timing control means 16 to the desired delaying interval. As the shaft 38 is rotated, the cam 34 will move to the position shown in FIGURE 3 where the cam rise forces the lever 28 outwardly against the tension of the spring 48. With the plate 36 in its closed position, it then becomes impossible for the user to obtain another cigarette from the supply 52 until the predetermined time has elapsed. This is so because the timing control means allows manual rotation of the shaft 38 only in a direction which will increase the time interval between setting of the time control means and the point in time when the follower pin 32 is pulled into the dwell 54.

After the desired interval has elapsed the next cigarette 50 may be removed and another cycle begun.

Turning now to the second embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, for the purpose of avoiding needless repetition, certain of the parts corresponding to the prior described embodiment are given the same reference characters with the addition of the prefix 662',

The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment principally in the altered shape of the casing element 212 and in the mounting of the timing control means 216 with its shaft located on the longitudinal axis of the device 210.

Thus in the second embodiment the top wall 222 has the discharge opening 224 which is blocked by the plate 236 when the device 210 is in the closed position thereof. At the end of the timing cycle the plate 236 clears the opening and is displaced to the left as viewed on FIG- URE 6.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art to which the present invention relates.

I claim:

1. Cigarette case construction comprising: a casing element having a discharge opening; said casing having a storage area sufiicient to hold a plurality of cigarettes; gate means including a pivoted lever carrying a detent plate having a closed position in which said plate obstructs said opening and an open position in which said plate clears said opening; and timing control means for moving said gate means.

3 2. Structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the casing has a top wall within which the discharge opening islocated; whereby a released cigarette may be removed from the cigarette case by inverting and tapping the same.

3. Structure as claimed in claiml in which the timing 5 control means is disposed within the casing element so as to be normally inaccessable to the user; said timing control means having a time interval setting knob disposed exteriorly of the casing element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Husted 206-412 Hanna 702.73

Kinnebrew 20641.2 Weil 7O269 Kappel 70267 I 10 ALBERT H. KAMPE, Primary Examiner. 

1. CIGARETTE CASE CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING: A CASING ELEMENT HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING; SAID CASING HAVING A STORAGE AREA SUFFICIENT TO HOLD A PLURALITY OF CIGARETTES; GATE MEANS INCLUDING A PIVOTED LEVER CARRYING A DETENT PLATE HAVING A CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH SAID PLATE OBSTRUCTS SAID OPENING AND AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH SAID PLATE CLEARS SAID OPENING; AND TIMING CONTROL MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GATE MEANS. 